The glorified commission created by Democrats to investigate the nation’s financial crisis can’t get its act together despite a $10 million budget, a sizeable staff and more than a year to thoroughly probe the domestic and global culprits of the collapse.

It’s not like Americans are on pins and needles awaiting its findings, but as taxpayers they may wonder what the commission has done with nearly $10 million in public funds. Congress initially allocated $8 million then gave it an extra $1.8 million to hire about 40 employees, many of which already worked for the government and remain on their original agency’s payroll.

Some lawmakers challenged the additional $1.8 million infusion, allocated over the summer, citing financial mismanagement and partisanship at the FCIC that could result in a waste of taxpayer dollars. Additionally, FCIC commissioners and staff were singled out for conflicts of interest created by their past jobs in the public and private sectors.

One former high-ranking official at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said the financial crisis watchdog “has been a waste of money from the get-go,” even though former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid promoted it as a crucial tool to avoid a similar catastrophe in the future.